Frequently the state is seen and portrayed as callous, inept, and corrupted by elite interests. The state is conceptualized as the agent of socially legitimate violence and so essentially a malign force in human life. On the other hand and simultaneously, American sociology’s spiritual vision looks to the state to finally solve most of the social, economic, cultural, and political problems it is committed to ending. Great confidence most sociologists place in government programs, policies, and regulations (and courts to enforce them when administrations grow weak-kneed) to end discrimination,
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